TERRORISM: Part Time Sky Marshals

StrategyPage.com ^ | April 29, 2002 | Stephen V Cole

[Spar]

TERRORISM: Part Time Sky Marshals

April 29, 2002; One recent suggestion (which the FAA is not taking seriously) is to have reserve military officers and senior NCOs who have pistol certifications spend their two weeks of active duty each year flying as sky marshals. This would put hundreds of extra security types into airliners without really increasing the cost, since they would be paid to do various training or extra duties around active bases anyway. --Stephen V Cole

[Spar]

Read also: TERRORISM: Old Soldiers Not Wanted as Sky Marshals by FAA but Old Cops OK

[Spar]

fyi - bump

[Spar]

What's up with this antimilitary personnel bias by the FAA?

[bvw]

(1) Something that is actually effective or that really works is a grave danger to Civil Service in general, where the only thing that counts is having a well-perked job and a fantastic pension. It creates an "unrealistic" level of expectation and is a risk to the actual mission.

(2) Doesn't create as many high-G-level "Baal"tway dockets.

[Spar]

Hiring retired military and requiring reserve military officers and senior NCOs to serve as Sky Marshals seems like a great and practical idea to this Joe.

[cmsgop]

My Buddy just became an Air Marshal, $75k a year. He left a Sgt.command at a Local P.D.

[Spar]

congrats to him, all our best.

[Spar]

If that is the reason, personal bias like that by public officials has no place in the administration of any public office.

[bvw]

You are right of course, but being right is a most usually negative when in comes to Civil Service. A Civil Servant's goals do not include actually being responsible or effective -- I will repeat again, for this is a true statement: What actually works or is effective in the public interest is a grave risk to Civil Service, as it creates unreasonable expectations and is nearly always divergent or discordant from the real Civil Service mission.

[bvw]

I would withhold congrats, for I'd no more congratulate anyone joining the Grand Air Marshal Federal Extortion program then I'd congratulate an honest man for joining a gang of theives.

[Spar]

I congratulate anyone making 75K a year!

[bvw]

Well then sing the praises of your local car theft ring too! They also make a good pay. And they provide a civil benefit too. For every car they steal creates many economic exchanges, and our GDP is raised up!

[Frohickey]

How about just arming the pilots that want to be armed?

A plane does not need a reserve military officer or senior NCO in order to take off and land.
A plane does not need a federal air marshall with a salary, dental and medical plan and a pension in order to take off and land.
A plane DOES need a pilot to take off and land.

Rearrange the letters in the word "PISTOL', and you get "PILOTS". ;)